Snow and Cocoa
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: Cedric and Sofia have a late night of studying in preparation for her upcoming midterms, but they decide to put it on hold in favor of watching the snow with some hot cocoa, which leads to some deep conversation.


Snow and Cocoa

Summary: Cedric and Sofia have a late night of studying in preparation for her upcoming midterms, but they decide to put it on hold in favor of watching the snow with some hot cocoa, which leads to some deep conversation.

Disclaimer: I do not own the show!

A/N: Yeah, so I'm getting in the holiday spirit, so here's this. Now there is going to be a tiny bit of conflict in here, which is necessary with "deep conversation," but you know as well as I do that there will also be a nice resolution. :) Enjoy!

*Story*

"Where do you guys come up with the magic words for your spells?" Sofia asked randomly one evening while she and Cedric were pouring over her study materials. Sure, she was about a month or so early preparing for midterms, but she had a feeling as it was already her most challenging year at Royal Prep that they would be more difficult than usual.

"I suppose the magic committees come up with them," Cedric responded with a yawn. He glanced to the side and noticed the several candles they were using to study by were beginning to melt down. "Sofia, we've been at it for a few hours now." He smiled at her when she looked up wearily. "What do you say to a break?"

"But Mr. Cedric, if I stop now I may fail my midterms." She pouted.

"The day you fail a midterm is the day I stop eating fly cakes." He shrugged as she giggled. "It couldn't hurt to stop for a while. Look, take my advice: it's perfectly fine to be studious, but too much time spent will lead to exhaustion and miscomprehension, and where will that get you?"

"Well…"

"And you still have a few weeks left anyway, right? Don't stress yourself out. I'll continue helping you with the sorcery side of things; you just need a break now." He held out one hand when it appeared she was about to argue with him. "Ah, bup! Nope. I won't hear any arguments, young lady. You're taking a break, and that's final."

Sofia sighed with a relenting smile. "All right, Mr. Cedric. If you insist."

"I do. Now, I have the perfect solution for the time being." He conjured two heavy blankets, which draped around each of them, and then two steaming mugs of cocoa, which landed in their hands.

"What's this?" Sofia asked curiously.

"Look." He nodded toward his window, through which they could easily see the snow falling. "I figure the best environment to have a calm and quiet period of time is likely outside watching the snow. What do you say?"

She smiled thoughtfully. "You're something else, Mr. Cedric."

"Right you are. Come along then."

The two friends slipped out the castle doors. Cedric created a blanket to drape over a section of the steps before casting an invisible barrier above their sitting spot. He then gestured toward the princess, and they both sat down, their blankets wrapped snugly around them and their cocoa mugs still steaming.

"You know what I like the most about snow?" Cedric asked quietly as Sofia sipped some of her drink. "It's rather quiet. It's not obnoxiously loud like thunderstorms. It just…falls to the earth without complaint."

Sofia blinked. "Mr. Cedric?"

He hummed pensively before sipping some of his own cocoa. "So… It won't be long before your days at Royal Prep have ended."

She nodded with a sigh. "Yeah. I'm going to miss it there. But I guess we can't stay there forever, right? We have to grow up at some point." She smiled thoughtfully. "I wonder what the next school is going to be like." She noticed that her friend seemed rather contemplative, almost…sad? "Mr. Cedric? What is it? What's wrong?"

The sorcerer sighed as he held onto his cocoa. "It's just… This may sound silly, but… I… I'm just not ready for you to grow up yet." He frowned as he heard the little gasp from his friend. "I mean, you'll always be Sofia, no matter your age, but…it was the charming _young_ princess who weaseled her way into my life and, admittedly, my heart, and I just don't know if I'm ready to let her go."

"Mr. Cedric…"

He chuckled softly. "I'm being silly, aren't I? Selfish, rather. I should be happy for you to be starting another chapter in your life, and here I am putting a damper on things."

"I get it, though," she admitted with a small smile. "Change is scary, no matter if it's aging or trying new things. Letting go of the past…looking toward the future…" She absently glanced down at her Enchantlet and sighed. "You wonder if you'll be the same person even a year from now."

"Oh, I know you will be," he responded confidently. "Sure, you've gotten wiser and stronger over the years, but I can still see a lot of the old Sofia in you. You're still yourself, just an older version."

She grinned. "You never know. Maybe I won't be that tall." Her face fell into one of despair. "Oh, no, I hope I didn't jinx myself." She giggled when he started laughing. She sipped the last bit of her cocoa and set the mug aside before attempting to pull her arms into her blanket when Cedric gently grasped her right arm. She looked up at him with a grim expression, knowing the inevitable was about to be brought up.

Cedric observed the magical object, knowing a source of power when he saw one. He had noticed it on several occasions before at this point, but he mostly chose not to say much. However, she'd been disappearing more often these days, and she'd come home exhausted or dazed…or both. She had new skills he wasn't aware of as well. It made him wonder just what she got up to when she wasn't at the castle or Royal Prep. "And when are we going to have _this_ discussion?"

Sofia stared at him for a few moments before carefully loosening her arm from him and tucking her head as she wrapped the blanket more firmly around her.

He frowned at her reaction. "Oh, it's like that now, hmm?" He sighed in aggravation. "Why are you keeping so many secrets, Sofia? Why can't you just be honest with me?"

She felt something snap inside her when he asked that. Who was he to talk? She glared at her mentor with a fire he hadn't seen since back in the spring. "Because _you_ weren't honest with _me_."

Cedric blinked in surprise, not altogether used to her irritation being directed at him. "What?"

Sofia groaned in exasperation and shook her head. "Mr. Cedric, believe me. I want to tell you everything. I want to have no more secrets between us. But I just… I can't."

He considered her words before it hit him. "So, is this about… _that day_? Is that why you're now keeping things from me?"

She gave him a sad look. "Not completely, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't have something to do with it. And I know you've apologized and we're trying to heal our friendship, but this time _these_ secrets aren't my choice. I have to…to _protect_ my secrets right now. But I promise I'll tell you if and when I need to." She leaned over and hugged him. "I trust you, Mr. Cedric, probably more than I should…"

That stung a little. He appreciated that she did have so much faith in him, but she was right. She'd blindly believed in him before he'd revealed his dark secret to her, and ever since then there was something of a thin trust barrier between them. It wasn't even intentional. He hoped they could break it down one of these days, because he seriously missed that no-holds-barred bond that they used to have. Obviously, it would take some time to repair…but he was willing to do whatever it took to get back what they once had. Still, something she'd said was bothering him. He wrapped his left arm around her to return her hug before asking, "What do you mean, secret _s_? As in, more than one?" Hearing her sigh, he glanced down toward her as she looked up at him. "You aren't putting yourself in danger, are you?"

She smiled guiltily. "I'm a princess, Mr. Cedric. I know magic. I'm always in danger."

Cedric frowned at her response. "I'm not laughing, Sofia."

Her smile changed to a sympathetic one. "Neither am I…"

"That's it. I'm magically sealing you in your room until all danger has disappeared from this kingdom."

Sofia shook her head in amusement. "I appreciate it, Mr. Cedric, but you need to let me fight some battles on my own. I can't just be a little fragile doll locked away in a glass case my whole life. I appreciate that you want to protect me, but I think you underestimate me sometimes… Maybe _I_ could protect _you_."

Why did he get the feeling she was dropping hints all of a sudden? He smirked. "You've done so already, from your father no less. And of course you've protected me and shielded me from many others as well, even though I didn't deserve it."

"Don't be silly. You more than deserve it." She returned to hugging him, leaning against his shoulder. "You're Cedric the Sensational, greatest sorcerer Enchancia has ever seen." She grinned. "Hey, if I get my own kingdom one day, I'm stealing you from Dad. Calista can take over here."

He laughed. "I'd love to hear _that_ conversation."

"I might just take Baileywick too."

"What? You're not going to leave King Roland any of his original staff?"

She shrugged. "He can keep Chef Andre." She giggled as he rolled his eyes.

Cedric shook his head. "It seems it was a good idea to remove you from your studies after all. You're clearly loopy at this point."

"I think I'm just tired and cold."

"We'd best get inside then." Using his wand, he made the cocoa mugs vanish before standing up and helping the girl to her feet. "And no, that does not mean you're going back to studying. It means you need to get some rest."

She smiled gently. "If you say so, Mr. Cedric." She laughed. "Cedric knows best, right?"

"Indeed." He held out his hand to her, which she took. "Sofia?"

The princess blinked up at her friend.

"You will tell me if you need help, right? And I don't just mean exams…"

She nodded and hugged him once again as the barrier above them faded, allowing the snow to cascade onto them for the first time that night. "I promise, Mr. Cedric." She looked toward him with a small smile. "I might need you on my side if something _does_ happen."

He placed one hand on the side of her head and smiled at her. "You've got me if you need me."

With that, they made their way back into the castle just as a new snowfall began, blanketing Enchancia in a shimmering shade of white.

The end


End file.
